March 20, 2008 |
Bulkley Valley Research Centre recognizes advances in sustainability with annual awards
For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2008
At its recent annual general meeting, Smithers’ Bulkley Valley Research Centre (BVRC) honoured outstanding achievement in the local research community that has led to increased sustainability in northwestern B.C.’s ecosystems. The awards were presented at the BVRC’s annual general meeting at the Trackside Cantina in Smithers on March 11.
The Jim Pojar Award, which honours an outstanding print or electronic publication that improves awareness for ecological, social or human dimensions of natural resources in northwest B.C., was accepted by Smithers-based forest ecologist Rick Trowbridge on behalf of himself and his co-researchers Anne Macadam, Donald McLennan, Marty Kranabetter and Jodi Friesen for the paper “Ecological descriptions of pine mushroom (Tricholoma magnivelare) habitat and estimates of its extent in northwestern British Columbia,” which tackles the issue of balancing important resources like timber against less powerful resources, such as the pine mushroom, which directly benefit local residents.
The paper demonstrates how science can be integrated with local ecological knowledge to make better land use decisions for sustainable resource management. The project was a collaboration between the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research, the BC Ministry of Forests and Range and local consultants. Former Smithers resident David Hatler, who now lives in Enderby, received the Irving Fox Award, which recognizes an outstanding contribution to ecological, social or economic knowledge of the sustainability of natural resources in northwest B.C. Hatler was honoured for his contributions into sustainable management of wildlife in the Spatsizi Wilderness Provincial Park and is credited with conducting research that has led to healthy caribou, stone sheep, moose, wolf and grizzly bear populations in the Spatsizi area.
While living in the Bulkley Valley between 1980 and 1994, Hatler was senior biologist for a small non-profit, non-governmental organization called the Spatsizi Association for Biological Research (SABR), formed in 1976 to advance knowledge of the large mammal predator-prey system of the Spatsizi region in northwestern British Columbia. In 1975, the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch estimated roughly 250 caribou in the Spatsizi area.
Today, with conservative management based on the knowledge gained through Hatler’s work, there are now 3,000 caribou estimated in the region. More information about the awards can be found at Awards. The BVRC is happy to provide additional photos or sources, at your request.
Please contact us with any questions. Sincerely, Amanda Follett, Communications Coordinator (250) 847-2827